Topics

Hi!

Three quick questions:

1. Is video playback possible in the Linux runtime?
2. Is it possible to make web API calls from AGS?
3. Are run-time plugins cross-platform portable?

Hi, first post in 10 years!

I am looking into doing a modernized remake of a full-length AGS game relased on CD-ROM in 2005. I have read the on-line manual for upgrading, but run into trouble when trying to import the old project.

There are problems, converted room scripts all start with binary garbage, like this:

Code: ags

zisý,s¥mï‚kwH>â,¬­Å'kïwtLÛQ*ò‚mhS7{mº‘ZAÆ'(mNBo¶‘+.p(%ý,Câ€"=Gc(J#`â€"o!TUT5,SfLï[QS$Ûe¼‹\Cxwsÿ6{sºhCAgf÷,zT'ï>7%R1~h·‘5~z%G=â,¬r·Å'm
I(ZR3,hµ“^=Æ'wwXî{mg…hC‚xtSÛR¬‘L2mjM"~`µbCxwsÿö`QˆkLcQT--OQâ€"pLPLJ	,T'G4†ZtN;41pXÙÅ'AqbȠh=tviÿ6{sºhCAgfÿî;.gaHï]WYÿPH›=H!/ZJ,bDgqAb(Q(QQ*ÃœAqbȠh=‚|fQB,q¶Å'f.p(%ý,Câ€"=Gc(J#`â€"

Most converted scripts only consist of this.

Some scripts do get converted, but the converted code doesn't work. For instance, this:



gets converted into this (where hotspot2_a() and unhandled_event(1,3) are non-existing functions):

Code: ags

function hHotspot2_UseInv()
{
if (player.ActiveInventory == inventory[1]) {
hotspot2_a();
}
else {
 unhandled_event(1, 3);
}
}

The project was started in AGS 2.71 (I think) originally. Is there anything that can be done about this other than rewriting all scripts from scratch? Or did I miss something important along the way?

All input and help is appreciated! 

Details on the game: https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/force-majeure-ii-the-zone

I have been sketching on a new adventure game project for the past two-three months and would like to write a exemplary game design document for it. There are many ways these are structured, but do any of you guys know of any good examples that I could use as template or inspiration?

One of my users got this error message:

Code: ags

---------------------------
Illegal exception
---------------------------
An exception 0xE06D7363 occured in ACWIN.EXE at EIP = 0x7C81EB33 ; program pointer is +1004, ACI version 2.71.880, gtags (0,8)

AGS cannot continue, this exception was fatal. Please note down the numbers above, remember what you were doing at the time and notify CJ on the Tech forum.

in Room 54 script (line 10)

That line is:

Code: ags

PlayFlic(1,2);

What could be wrong?

Is the DOS engine scrapped permanently? I miss it!  :'(

[Force majeure II: The Zone]

You are the sole survivor of an unknown catastrophe, trapped in an air-raid shelter. Escaping your confinement, you face a delusional reality known only as the Zone â€" a place where your own mind is your enemy. The city is in ruins: explore a dreamy landscape through the eyes of a lone wanderer trying to piece together fragments of the past.



Force majeure II: The Zone is an audio-visual interactive story/adventure game by Leo Nordwall set in a ruined city where everything seems uncertain. The Zone is experienced from a first-person perspective and is navigated by pointing-and-clicking. Photos, drawings, 3D renderings and live video footage have been integrated into a unique visual experience. The soundtrack is over 70 minutes long and features new tracks in the tradition of electro-acoustic music, ambient and electronica.

While there are plenty of interactive works and games that entertain by providing puzzle solving, action and slapstick humour, the Zone is all about exploring the unknown territories of the mind. If you feel that issues such as philosophy, poetry, metaphysics and art is your cup of tea, the story might interest you. If not, the irreal meanderings of the Zone is best left alone.

Force majeure: The Zone is produced by Leo Nordwall in cooperation with Interacting Arts and Fabel Förlag.


Features

• Enjoy an emotional, philosophical and metaphysical experience
• Explore more than 60 locations
• Listen to over 70 minutes of soundtrack in CD-quality
• See several minutes of live video footage
• Independently produced

Game web site with demos, updates, screenshots, free music and video downloads: http://interactingarts.org/thezone/



Screenshots


First encounter


The Concrete Ziggurat


Our special place


Inside the old laboratory


Answering the phone


Rendezvous


Exploring the ruins


Printer problems


Rendezvous II


A dangerous Zone dweller

Tired of those MIDI files? Here are lots of good music that you are allowed to use.

http://creativecommons.org/audio/

 

I am looking for sites that discuss, list, preview, review and has information on indie games. Maybe we could make a comprehensive list together?

I have used the sgs_load and save template for my game, but run into trouble with the new sprite pointers. Has anyone experience in rewriting this template?

EDIT: Noticed that this has already been addressed. Please ignore this post.

[else if (button == 6) { // quit GUIOff(0); GUIOff(1); Wait(1); GUIOn(11); GUIOn(0); GUIOn(1); }]

I cannot make any sense out of this. I want to display a custom quit GUI when clicking on a top menu and hide that menu and a status bar as well. But they won't hide. This is the code from interface_click:

  if (interface == 1) {
    if (button == 3){   // see inventory
      //InventoryScreen();
         ItemScreen();
   }
    else if (button == 4)    // save game
      sgs_save();
    else if (button == 5)   // load game
      sgs_load();
    else if (button == 6) {  // quit
         GUIOff(0);
         GUIOff(1);
         Wait(1);
         GUIOn(11);
         GUIOn(0);
         GUIOn(1);
         }
    else if (button == 7)    // about
      AboutGame();
  }

It seems that long dialog options are cut off after a certain length. It does not look to good, since the line goes black after 60% of the screen approximately. I guess there is a maximum length to these options.

Can this be fixed somehow or do I have to rewrite the options into shorter phrases? And does anyone know how long a dialog option can be before getting cut off?

Is there any way to mute MPEG audio playback if sound was disabled in winsetup.exe?

Edit by strazer: Fixed in AGS v2.71 Beta 5

The first time I play an MPEG with sound on a Windows XP system, the sound stutters during the first second of playback or so. It does not happen on later PlayVideos. Can it be fixed?

I have had problems with ambient sounds not playing at all. Has anyone else encountered this?

Would it be possible to support Theora?

When mouse bounds are in effect, a tester of my game noticed strange behaviour that I also could replicate: when moving the mouse pointer to the bound, the pointer stops (as it should). However, when moving the mouse back it seems that you have to travel a virtual distance back before being able to move the pointer again.

For example:

Bound is set to x 180. I move the pointer to 180 and beyond (to 200, perhaps). The pointer stops at 180, but an invisible virtual pointer seems to move on. When moving the mouse back along the negative x axis it seems I have to move 20 pixels before the visible pointer starts to move.

So it seems that the engine keeps track of the actual mouse position while only updating the visible pointer while it's in bounds. This is a bit annoying as it causes the pointer to "stick" to bound edges.

We noticed that when pressing ALT+TAB in Windows when playing a game caused the game to minimize and continously loop a section of the sound playing. Would it be possible to mute the sound while the game is minimized?

Also, if in a dialogue, the screen wouldn't redraw until you clicked the mouse (which would cause important messages to disappear...).

Is these things fixable somehow?

After showing a MPEG movie, some of my testers report that the game application minimizes. Can I do anything about this?

Just out of curiosity (and inability to understand the manual): can I have a lip-synced character animation with speech? Or do I have to resort to the Sierra portrait to have speech and animation at the same time?